


up close and personal

by mixtapestar



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Banter, Canon Era, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, M/M, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixtapestar/pseuds/mixtapestar
Summary: "I need you all fighting fit, in case Morgana shows up," Arthur says. "That means no alcohol."Despite his authoritative tone, he's met with many grumbles across the camp. At Arthur's frown, Merlin jumps in, trying to bolster everyone's spirits. "We could play a game?"Merlin plays a magically-fortified truth game with Arthur and the knights.
Relationships: Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 255
Collections: Merlin Holidays 2020





	up close and personal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpiritWorld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritWorld/gifts).



> Diverges after season 3, before Morgana took Morgause to the Isle of the Blessed.
> 
> Happy Holidays, SpiritWorld! I combined the ideas behind a few of your prompts - hope you enjoy!

"Are we there yet?" Merlin asks, his back hurting from riding a horse all day. The woods continue to look the same to him; he has no idea what Arthur's going by.

"Just like I said the last thirty times you asked, _Merlin_ , I will tell you when we get there."

"Actually, I think we should stop here," Gwaine says, then shoots Merlin a wink when Arthur isn't looking.

Arthur grumbles, but Leon quickly agrees. "The main road is almost visible from here. If we stop here and cover our latest tracks, we can monitor any travelers and stay out of sight while we keep an eye out for Morgana."

Arthur dismounts, making it look like this was his idea. He starts delegating assignments to get their camp set up, cover their tracks, and keep themselves concealed. Merlin wanders off from the group, setting up enchantments along the borders of their little campsite so he'll have warning if anyone approaches.

When he returns to the group, Lancelot waves at him. "You wanna give me a hand with the horses?" he asks.

"Merlin and I will be gathering the firewood," Arthur says definitively.

"Oh, is _that_ what we're calling it," Gwaine shoots back at him, making the knights laugh. Merlin's mouth quirks up too, of its own accord.

"Haven't been able to start a fire of your own in a while, eh, Gwaine?" Merlin says, earning a chorus of _oooh_ s from the surrounding knights before Arthur drags him off.

"It's a wonder they still like you," Arthur says once they're out of earshot.

Merlin shrugs. "It's just a bit of teasing. You have no problem jumping in when it's not about you."

Arthur falls silent. Merlin starts to find fallen branches suitable for their purposes before long, gathering them into his arms as they pick their way through the trees. 

A couple of minutes pass before Arthur finally speaks again. "It's a thin line," he says. "I'll be their king soon enough."

Merlin stops himself just short of rolling his eyes. "I think you're the only one that sees that line. These are your most trusted men. You can relax."

"Speaking of which, did you do the thing?" Arthur asks, waving his hand about.

"What is _this_?" Merlin asks with a laugh, shifting the bundle in his hands so he can repeat Arthur's wild gestures.

Arthur rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean. Your magic… triggers, or what-have-you."

"Yes, Arthur, I did the thing," Merlin says indulgently, bending down to pick up more wood for the fire. "And nobody saw me do it! Amazing how easy that is for me. Almost like I have practice."

Arthur frowns. Even though he's known of Merlin's magic for the better part of a year, he still doesn't like to hear about how much he'd missed in the years before. "I thought the idea was that you didn't have to hide it, with this group."

Merlin smiles. "I don't, that's true. But I still want to be careful. We're in an unknown forest where anyone could see, and the law hasn't changed."

"I'm working on it," Arthur grumbles, and Merlin sets down his bundle of wood before stepping into his space.

"I know you are," Merlin says, watching Arthur's eyes fall to his lips. "Your efforts are appreciated."

Arthur makes an impatient noise and grabs at Merlin's shirt, dragging him the rest of the way in to bring their lips together. Merlin stumbles slightly, steadying himself with hands at Arthur's hips, the mail shifting under his touch.

Kissing Arthur, _being kissed_ by Arthur, is still new enough to be precious. The way his lips feel against Merlin's, chapped from the day of riding but still soft and skilled. The way he grunts and opens his mouth for Merlin's eager tongue, meeting him to deepen the kiss. The way his hand releases the fabric of Merlin's shirt to go to his waist, slipping under the garment to press against his skin, making Merlin shudder. His other hand finds its way to the back of Merlin's neck, holding him close.

It's Arthur who finally breaks the kiss, tilting his forehead against Merlin's and just holding there for a moment. "How long has that been on your mind?" Merlin asks softly.

Arthur huffs a laugh. "Since the second time you asked if we were _there yet_." He releases Merlin, reaching down to straighten his own clothes.

"You've been grumpy ever since we left this morning. Don't think I haven't noticed."

For a moment, Arthur looks like he's going to argue, but when he looks into Merlin's eyes, the fight goes out of him. "I know. It's just… Morgana. The possibility of seeing her again, after everything."

The sight of Arthur so clearly worried makes Merlin's chest ache. Part of him wants to drag Arthur back to Camelot, foregoing this whole scheme so that Arthur won't have his hopes dashed, but he knows Arthur would never stand for that. "And here I thought it was because you couldn't have me in your bed tonight," Merlin says, getting a shove for his troubles. He laughs for a moment, pleased with Arthur's smile, before becoming serious again. "Honestly, I know how you feel. Even when I knew her loyalties had shifted, I still missed the old Morgana. I still do."

"Do you believe she's still capable of change?" Arthur asks as he bends to gather kindling into his arms.

Merlin ponders that for a moment, taking half of the wood back from Arthur and ignoring his noise of protest. "Yes," he says eventually. "I don't know how, and I'm sure it won't be easy, but if anyone can convince her, it's you. Isn't that why we're here?"

Arthur sighs. "Yes, but I think we all know a run-in with her won't be peaceful."

"You're right about that," Merlin says, thinking back on the months of Morgana in Camelot, all the opportunities to reach out that he didn't take due to his fear. "I'm sure you'd have better luck without me here, but good luck getting rid of me."

"On the contrary, I think having you here is vital to getting her to listen. That's why I want you to use magic around the knights too. What better way to show a future where we can be at peace again than to show I've already embraced magic?"

"Oh, is _that_ what we're calling it?" Merlin says, echoing Gwaine from earlier, and earning a jab from Arthur's elbow as they head back to camp.

It's no great surprise when they get back to camp and become the focus of everyone's attention, the amount of wood they've brought back for the fire under intense scrutiny compared to how long they were gone. What is surprising, though, is Arthur's reaction.

"Unless your lips have been on mine in the past hour, you can keep them shut about it. Merlin, get a fire going. Elyan, how's dinner prep coming along?"

Merlin catches Gwaine's eye to find him nodding back, impressed to hear what they'd been up to. Merlin just shrugs a shoulder, grinning slightly, and starts building up the wood for the fire.

Once he's satisfied, a quick murmured spell is all it takes to get the wood to properly catch, a nice flame shooting up within seconds.

"I hate to think of all the time we wasted lighting fires the old-fashioned way," Percival says, elbowing Merlin in the ribs—just a _bit_ too hard—as he sets up the pot to heat up their dinner. Merlin massages his sore ribs and manages a smile back at Percival.

After dinner, Gwaine goes looking for their supply of cider and finds it missing. "I need you all fighting fit, in case Morgana shows up," Arthur says. "That means no alcohol."

Despite his authoritative tone, he's met with many grumbles across the camp. At Arthur's frown, Merlin jumps in, trying to bolster everyone's spirits. "We could play a game?"

Suggestions are thrown around, most of them related to physical prowess. Merlin shoots all of these down immediately; the last time, he made up for his lack of strength by using magic, which of course was called "cheating" despite doing exactly what the game called for. "No truth or dare either, we all know that will just result in escalating dares to show off until someone gets hurt." He holds his hands up to the fire to combat the chill in the air and thinks it over. "We could do a Truth game, though. There's a spell—we used it to get that Escetir assassin to confess, remember?"

Arthur's brows draw together as he thinks it over. "I'd rather not subject everyone to sharing anything too private."

"Oh, no, of course not. I can add a loophole. You'll still feel compelled to answer with the truth, but if you fight it and say, 'I'd rather not say,' the spell will be satisfied, and the compulsion will leave you. But be warned, if you try to lie, you will have no choice but to tell the truth."

With this modification, the group seems much more open to the idea. "Maybe you'll finally share that secret ingredient you put in the stew," Lancelot says to Elyan.

"Never," Elyan answers, grinning.

As Merlin starts to prepare the spell, thinking of the modifications to create the loophole, Arthur speaks up. "Let's keep it respectful, though, eh? We still have to be able to look each other in the eye come morning."

Merlin misses some bawdy comment by Gwaine as he nails down the particulars of the spell and casts. Everyone's laughter fades as they sit up a bit straighter.

"Oh," Leon says.

"Did you know it would have this weird side effect?" Elyan asks Merlin.

"It makes your mind a bit clearer, if that's what you mean."

They all nod, looking around at each other appraisingly. Merlin wonders what's on each of their minds.

"I'll go first," Percival says, sitting forward. "Lancelot. How are things going with Gwen?"

Lancelot's blush is obvious, even in the dim light. "Oh, well, she's—" He cuts himself off, glancing at Arthur. "Er, I mean, I—I'd rather not say."

"Good," Elyan says before anyone else can respond. "I'd rather not know." He winces a bit, like maybe he'd meant to say something else. Merlin recognizes the look.

"Don't back out on my account," Arthur assures Lancelot. "I will always care for Guinevere, but our parting was mutual. And now maybe you'll believe me," he adds, waving his fingers in a poor imitation of Merlin's casting gestures to remind Lancelot of the spell. Lancelot flushes but doesn't say anything further on the subject.

Lancelot wastes the next question trying to get cooking secrets from Elyan, which he keeps to himself. After that, they all learn a little more about Leon's love life—Merlin can't help raising his eyebrows at the mention of George—details about Arthur's underthings that Merlin already knows, and the real reason Gwaine doesn't go into the tailor's shop.

"I've never met anyone who's afraid of embroidery," Percival says, laughing.

In retaliation, Gwaine attempts several times in a row to ask Percival something deeply personal, but his badgering keeps getting met with, "I'd rather not say."

"I dunno, Merlin, I think you may have botched the spell," Lancelot says.

Elyan laughs. "Yeah, Percival seems to be stuck on a loop here."

Leon elbows him in the side. "C'mon, there must be _something_ you're willing to answer."

Percival squirms for a while as he thinks it over, and then he takes a deep breath. "I'm only interested in men." Silence seems to permeate the forest for a moment, and then Merlin has to laugh, shattering the tension.

"Well, you're in good company, mate." Everyone laughs along, though Merlin notes that Gwaine's smile looks a little strained. Strange, since he's been known to pick up anyone that looks at him twice, no matter their gender.

"You all wanted a secret, well. There you have it."

"But why would you feel the need to keep that from us?"

" _Especially_ from us," Gwaine adds, a bit adamantly.

"...I'd rather not say."

The forest seems to echo back as they all groan at once.

"Alright, alright," Merlin says. "Leave the man alone. However will he keep up his mysterious facade if we keep at him like this? Go on, Percival. I'm feeling left out. Ask me something."

"Right. Erm… well…"

He takes long enough to think of a question that Gwaine cuts in to ask his own question instead. "First kiss with Arthur?"

Merlin grins. "Funny you should ask."

"Merlin," Arthur says in a warning tone.

Merlin ignores him. "It was in the throne room."

A mix of cheers and groans scatters through the camp, as money is exchanged, apparently settling a bet. "Obviously we need more details," Gwaine prods.

" _Merlin_ ," Arthur warns again, but still Merlin tunes him out.

"Arthur had been listening to petitions from the smaller villages for a few hours. Agravaine had started interjecting more and more, being rude to the petitioners. He was grating on my nerves as always, but I could tell Arthur was down to his last nerve as well. So I gave Agravaine a nosebleed."

"Which is _not_ behavior I encourage," Arthur says loudly over the cheering of his men.

"Well, you encouraged it that day."

"I did not! If you care to remember, we had quite the row over it after Agravaine went off to see Gaius."

"Oh, I remember. You cleared the room to yell at me for using magic with an audience, and I defended myself, and you yelled at me some more, and when I asked what it was you were _really_ angry about, you kissed me!"

Arthur stays silent, his eyes narrowing slightly as the others erupt into more laughter. "Now that's how it's done!" Elyan says.

"Oh, Arthur, don't be so bashful," Leon says. "It's no great surprise to any of us that the two of you came together during an argument. We were all waiting for it to happen."

"And waiting," Lancelot adds.

"And waiting," Percival says.

"I was about to kiss him myself if it would hurry things along," Gwaine says.

"Enough," Arthur commands, and everyone's laughter dies out. He pulls himself up, taking on that kingly aura that Merlin normally appreciates when he isn't so annoyed at his stubbornness. "If you're all quite done, we should settle in, get some rest. I'll take the first watch."

Merlin rolls his eyes, but stands up and stretches anyway, knowing there will be no talking Arthur out of his decision. "That truth spell will stay active for an hour, so mind how you talk in your sleep."

Merlin stays up with him, moving out of earshot from the group to continue their conversation.

"Honestly, Merlin. It's amazing how you can't keep your mouth shut for five minutes. How you managed to keep a secret so monumental for so long is beyond me. You've clearly lost your touch for it."

Merlin rolls his eyes. "You're just cross because now your men know you have _feelings_."

"Or maybe I'm angry because you took a private moment, something _between us_ , and aired it out like it was a complete joke," Arthur hissed back at him.

Something softens in Merlin, hearing that. "It's not like that. Your men, they look up to you. But it's good for them to see you're human, too. I mean, Percival wasn't even comfortable sharing his secret in front of you until tonight."

Arthur, perhaps predictably, takes offense to this. "If they can't see I'm human by now, I hardly think telling them the details of all our trysts will do it."

" _Trysts_?!" Merlin parrots back incredulously.

"Try to use some discretion in the future? You managed to hide the truth from me for years, I know you're capable of closing your mouth once in a while."

"You can't keep using that against me every time we have an argument!"

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that every time you lied to me!" Arthur says, somewhat nonsensically.

Merlin feels his anger building, a stormcloud in his chest. "Have you considered how many times I told you the truth, directly, to your face, and was utterly disregarded?" He flicks through his memories and comes up on a dozen examples, right off hand. He scoffs, the truth spell seeming to egg him on, and he doesn't even try to resist. "No, more than that. You don't know what it's like, to have a secret so big, so inherent to your sense of self, that it physically hurts to keep it. Here I thought that once things were revealed, once I earned your trust again, that I'd have some relief. That I wouldn't have to 'keep my mouth shut' any longer. But there goes Merlin, assuming things above his station again."

"Merlin," Arthur starts, voice softening, but then Merlin's mind buzzes at the sensation of one of his wards being crossed, followed quickly by a rustling in the trees nearby that draws their attention. Arthur's hand goes to his sword, and with a nod, they creep forward together to investigate.

Merlin shoots off a spell to alert the others just as they're ambushed by a large group of men, and they’re joined in seconds, the knights jumping right into battle, swords clashing. Merlin targets one man with a blast of magic, but as he flies back with the force of the spell, he catches himself midair and suddenly comes rushing back. Merlin dodges the return volley quickly, but not before noticing the unfocused look in the man's eyes. As Arthur charges in, drawing his attention away, Merlin shouts to the others, "They're enchanted!"

"Can you break it?" Elyan shouts over the clang of swords. They're outnumbered, and the attackers have a clear magical advantage. Merlin quickly does a mental run through spells he’s used before, and instinctually goes with one. Four of the fighters shift their focus, then, on Merlin.

"Bollocks," Merlin says. He tries again, a flash of light shooting out at his assailants. They stay stunned for about six seconds before resuming their stalking toward him.

"I bludgeoned this one on the head and he's still coming at me!" Percival shouts.

 _Resistance_ , Merlin thinks. The four men start to rush him simultaneously. Merlin thinks fast, focusing on the roots of the trees. He mutters a spell so that the roots lift up, wrapping around their ankles and pulling them to the ground.

As they fall, two of the men seem to come back to themselves, suddenly helpless and calling for mercy. As he helps the two subdued men free, a crystal charm falls from the ankle of the blond man, shattered by the impact of Merlin's spell. "You, do you have one of these as well?" Merlin calls to the other subdued man, who quickly confirms it, bowing and looking contrite as anything. Meanwhile, the still-charmed men struggle against Merlin's spell, swinging toward him futilely from the ground.

"They're charmed!" Merlin calls out. "Look for a crystal around the ankle. And avoid dealing any lethal blows; I don't think they're here of their own will."

Now that he knows what he's looking for, he makes quick work of disabling the charms on the two men still caught up in the roots. When he looks up, Arthur and Leon have already disabled their men as well, leading them over with their hands held behind their backs. Leon's man is incredibly apologetic, going on and on about how he never meant anyone any harm, he was just minding his own business, honest, and Arthur finally tells him to shut up, that no harm will come to them if they cooperate.

Finally, they're down to one man, who Gwaine seems to be struggling against.

"I'll hold him down, you get the charm," Percival says, stepping in and grappling with the man, pulling him to the ground.

Gwaine scoffs. "Oh sure, you'll hold _him_ down."

"What?!"

"Don't think it's escaped my notice that you're 'interested in men', you're just not interested in me!" Gwaine says, wrestling the man's foot to the ground to grab at his charm.

"Keep in mind that the truth spell is still active!" Merlin shouts nervously.

"Don't talk nonsense," Percival says, gripping the thrashing man.

"How is it nonsense?" Gwaine demands, pulling the charm free and smashing it against a rock.

"Because you're the one I'm most interested in!"

Silence. The man in Percival's grip, now subdued with his enchantment broken, quietly asks to be released.

As Percival lets the man go, he quickly darts to his friends' sides. "I—didn't mean to say that."

"Couldn't quite manage, 'I'd rather not say,' eh?" Gwaine says, looking heartened. He reaches out and helps Percival to his feet, his touch lingering on his arm, but Percival shakes him off.

"Don't start, Gwaine. This is why I didn't tell you."

Gwaine frowns, looking affronted. He moves further into Percival's space, making his intentions clear. "How could _this_ be a problem?"

"Because I don't want just one night… or a handful of nights with you," Percival answers, taking a step back. "I know how you are, with your men, with your women. I don't fault you for it, but that's not what I want."

Meanwhile, Arthur is squaring off against the group of men, who are doing as he asks quietly and without complaint. To Gwaine and Percival, he says, "I suggest you two hash this out later."

"No," Gwaine says, eyes trained on Percival. "I want him to hear this while he knows I'm telling the truth."

Arthur huffs an exasperated breath, throwing his arms in the air, while one of the former ambushers says, "We don't mind."

Gwaine looks as serious as Merlin has ever seen him. "Do not presume to know what I want. Sure, I know how to have fun. But it is not what defines me. I've been in committed relationships before, when the time was right… or the person."

Merlin's lips curve up into a smile as Percival's expression softens. Looking at Percival, he can practically feel the heart-racing, drunken joy of knowing that your feelings are reciprocated. He flicks his eyes to Arthur to find him looking back with a small smile of his own.

Arthur schools his expression a moment later, clearing his throat. "Perhaps the two of you could go for a walk, check the surrounding area for any other interlopers?"

Percival shoots a sheepish grin around at the group. "Right. We'll just… do that, then."

As they walk away, Arthur approaches Merlin speaking quietly. "Could you," he wiggles his fingers, "cast the same truth spell on these men?"

Merlin nods. "Loophole or no loophole?"

Arthur tilts his head, considering. "Actually, keep the loophole. If any of them try to use it, their non-answer will still speak volumes. We can always try again tomorrow."

Merlin steps up to where the ten men are gathered in a miserable heap. They certainly don't seem like they're faking it, but this will give Arthur the assurance he needs. "Right, so how familiar are you all with magic, outside of the enchantment you were just released from?"

Some grumbles, a few shared worried looks, and then the red-headed man speaks up for the others. "We're simple folk, sir, we just got caught up in someone else's scheme."

That doesn't really answer his question, but Merlin suspects they wouldn't admit to sorcery with the prince of Camelot standing nearby, even if they had seen it cast in his presence by one of his own men.

"I'm about to cast a spell on you that will compel you to tell the truth. It won't hurt, and if you fight it, you can choose not to answer. But it will be impossible to lie. You've already seen it in action with our men tonight," he says, gesturing in the direction Percival and Gwaine disappeared and somehow managing to keep a straight face.

Despite their looks of discomfort, they eventually all nod in acknowledgement. Merlin casts the spell, then grimaces at the slight headache it leaves behind. He's used a lot of energy in the past hour.

The knights all gather around with Arthur to start their interrogation. To no one's surprise, the men were sent by Morgana, but from the sounds of it, they weren't the only men she'd rounded up. After more prodding, Elyan theorizes that Morgana may have sent men in many directions, knowing that a group that never returned would tell her which direction to look for Arthur.

The theory holds weight, especially as the men begin to recall some of what Morgana had said while they were enchanted.

"Do you think you could find your way back to where she held you captive?" Leon asks.

"I reckon Samuel could," a blond man says, volunteering his friend, who shoots him a glare. "He's got the best sense of direction of any man I've seen."

Samuel ducks his head at the compliment, and Merlin has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. Maybe there's cupid dust in the air tonight.

"If we wait until morning, I can craft an imitation of their charms," Merlin offers.

Arthur nods. They continue the questioning for another few minutes, but it's clear that if there's more information to be gathered, it's not from these men. They make a plan to set out in the morning, following the men stealthily as they return to Morgana.

The ten men clearly are not outfitted with bedrolls, but Merlin takes pity on them, offering to cast a warming charm over them if they'd like to use their shirts as pillows. While they seem confused at his kindness, they accept it happily, and Merlin is sure he overhears some compliments about Arthur as they settle in to sleep. Merlin also adds a little extra power to his wards, just in case. He's pretty sure they can trust this lot, but he'd hate for his loophole to be the reason they missed a question and were all slaughtered in the night.

He steps away to find his friends talking details of tomorrow's plan. "And Merlin, anything you need to produce the charms?" Lancelot asks.

"Stones, preferably about the same size as the charms were. I can change their appearance and replace the ones we shattered."

Arthur pats him on the back. "We should rest up while we can, so we can get moving at first light."

"Who's the unlucky sap who gets to retrieve Gwaine and Percival?" Elyan asks.

Everyone snickers, Merlin included. "I'll do it," he volunteers. "Doubt I'll see anything I haven't before." He shoots Arthur a wink and traipses away quickly before anyone can think up a comeback to that.

He heads into the forest in the direction he saw them leave, his eyes failing to find prints in the dark. He's just about to create some magical light when the wind carries over the sound of a muffled moan, and turning toward it, he spots the two of them in the distance, pressed up against a tree.

Laughing lightly to himself, Merlin makes a great deal of noise as he approaches, not that it does anything to deter Gwaine. Honestly, Merlin would expect no different. He clears his throat loudly and pointedly when he pulls up to their side, and Percival seems to go to break their heated kiss, but being trapped between Gwaine and a tree doesn't give him far to go.

"Not that I'm not happy for you two, but you are needed back at camp."

"Spoilsport," Gwaine mutters, moving from Percival's lips to his throat, where he seems to have already spent some time.

"Gwaine, we have a duty," Percival reminds him with a bit of strain in his voice.

Gwaine scoffs. "Toss duty. I've got _you_."

Percival shoots him a pleading look. "The sooner we get done here, the sooner we go back to Camelot, with its nice, large beds?" Merlin tries.

Percival nods. "S'right. They had to add a few extra inches to mine, to accommodate my size."

"Extra inches, you say?" Gwaine says, eyebrows raised.

Merlin rolls his eyes and cuffs Gwaine on the shoulder. "C'mon, then." He finds himself only slightly jealous of the way they can't keep their hands off each other on the walk back to camp. He and Arthur had been like that, for the first few days, locked away in Arthur's quarters until a missed appointment at court led to a missed opportunity for peace with Exandria, and Arthur swore to put his duty first. They still get those moments on occasion, especially at night, but they're far more rare than Merlin would like. Still, he admires Arthur's choice to put Camelot first. He hopes, in time, he'll be able to stand beside him in those meetings, knowing his voice will be heard.

It's with that in mind that he pulls Arthur aside when they return, leaving the knights to fill in Percival and Gwaine on the plan. As they stroll around the perimeter of the campsite, Merlin sets up new wards and searches for the right words. "I'm sorry if I overstepped earlier. I hope you know that your men will respect you, regardless of who you kiss in the throne room."

Merlin's heart flips as Arthur grins wide enough to show teeth. "It's I who should apologize," he admits. "I was a little thrown by your candor, but I'm not ashamed of you. And… I hope _you_ know, I consider you an equal." Merlin swallows against a lump in his throat, slowing to a stop to look at Arthur properly. "I'd just like to know that I can let my guard down when we're alone together, without worrying about the whole kingdom finding out."

Merlin laughs lightly, trying to focus on the humor of the situation over the swell of affection in his chest. 

In the morning, they’ll be off confronting Morgana together, and for all Merlin knows it will take all of his power to keep Arthur safe. For now, his voice only wavers slightly when he says, "I think I can manage that."

And without bothering to glance back to see if anyone's watching, Arthur kisses him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Your comments are much appreciated! <3


End file.
